Even though you're gone
by majik7
Summary: A misunderstanding. An argument. A mistake. A letter. Mari needs to be the head of the Purson family, but she also needs to make amends for what she'd done...Before it tears her family apart. "So please, learn from my mistakes." If only her mothers words had come sooner. Side story to DxD:Sins of The Father


_Hopefully, this letter never sees the light of day._

 _Hopefully, anything I write will have passed through my lips directly to you, thousands of times._

 _But on the chance that you are reading this Mari, my baby girl, I want you to know that I wish it were different._

 _Words aren't capable of conveying how much I love you._

 _But i'll say it anyway. I love you Mari, so, so much!_

 _OH! This is your favorite mother, by the way!_

 _Also, would you mind_ **not** _making me have to pee every 5 minutes? The bathroom is like…100 feet away. That's much too far for a pregnant woman to walk without needing another round of cookies and ice cream. Maybe i'll go for some pizza this time. Oh oh wait! Your dad makes this really great salmon dish, that's absolutely_ ** _divine!_** _Damn, these cravings are running wild again._

 _Right about now, i'm sure you're thinking-_

 _"Is my dearest mother writing me a letter from beyond the grave, before i'm even born? And did she really need to rant about the effects of her being pregnant?"_

 _My answer: yes. It was entirely necessary, y'know…for science._

 _So now that you know that I love you very very much, and that I currently want a hot fudge covered pretzel dipped in peanut butter, lets get on with other things, yea?_

 _17 years old, married to the most devoted man in the world, and pregnant._

 _Before you ask, Yes, we certainly circumvented some age related rules. Some countries let you get married far too young. But hey, it worked out in my favor. Flash some cash to the right people, and_ ** _boom!_** _Married, just like that._

 _I can't wait to meet you. Just a few more weeks, until I get to hold this life i've loved growing inside me for the last 8 months or so. The first time I felt you kick, My god(Ouch)…I burst into tears. You were_ ** _real_** _, not just some picture on a screen, or a heartbeat I could hear from some monitor._

 _It also just dawned on me, that you'll be older than me when you read this. That's a bit weird to think about._

 _Happy belated 18th birthday baby! If your dad didn't shower you with gifts and attention, kick him for me, will ya?_

 _I guess I need to switch back to the sad stuff…To tell you why i'm writing this letter, and the others to follow._

 _Your father and I did something stupid a few years ago._

 _You're an adult now, so i'm sure you know what happened to my family._

 _We found a hint of where the culprits were, and who helped them. Being the curious and stupid kids we were at the time, we went to look._

 _They don't know_ ** _who_** _found them, but they're looking over their shoulders a bit more now._

 _We did that for a few months. Finding out whatever we could, mess up their plans in ways that wouldn't get us caught, then retreat to a safe distance._

 _Issei and I are more than strong enough to defend ourselves, but even the strongest can get outnumbered and overpowered._

 _I bet that's why you're reading this letter. Somewhere along the line, we probably made a mistake. I'm sorry that mistake had to cost you anything._

 _Ever since knowing that you were coming into our lives, all we've tried to do is lay low. The past is the past. You are whats important now. Everything else is secondary._

 _The only way I see that changing, is if that group sets their sights on you. Your father would hunt them till the end of time if that happened._

 _I wanted to write you at least this one letter. Just in case you have no memories of me, I want you to at least know that i've loved you wholeheartedly, since the moment I heard your heartbeat._

 _Let's leave this first letter short yea?_

 _I'll write another for you, once I have you in my arms._

 _If you could do me a favor though? Look out for your dad, he'll be a mess when i'm gone._

 _It won't matter how much time passes, or how many other relationships he'll have had. Ddraig told me that one night, when he was asleep. It's a result of what the church did to him, they broke a seal that was never meant to be broken._

 _I didn't understand. Not until after we broke up for about a month. I said and did some things in the heat of the moment. Things that i'll regret for the rest of my life._

 _Your father will never love_ ** _anything_** _, as much as he loves you and I. Someone might get close to it, and I have a good guess as to who that would be._

 _But it won't be the same._

 _So please, learn from my mistakes._

 _Issei is incapable of doing anything that he doesn't believe is in your best interest. If he pushes you towards something, there's a reason._

 _He also has a habit of not communicating that very well. If he ever upsets you to the point of no return, do your best to follow these steps._

 _Breathe baby. If you're anything like me, you'll get tunnel vision when you're mad._

 _Think about the big picture. Your dad sees things differently than most. Try to take a step back, and look at another point of view, preferably his._

 _Know that there's just as much that he isn't saying. His mind and his mouth work at different speeds. You have to figure out what he_ ** _really_** _wants to say, and just isn't able to bring it out._

 _And finally, know without a shadow of a doubt, that he'll forgive you for anything. I know that lesson all too well._

 _I love you Mari, never forget that._

 _Love, your mother, Nora._

 **-LineBreak-**

The room she was in, was usually so clean and organized that it sparkled.

At the moment however, it was in such disarray, that it looked like a twister had run through it.

Books on the floor, pages torn out from the force of removing them from the shelf.

The curtains of the windows were in tatters.

The posts for her large canopy bed were broken, leaving splintered wood along the floor.

The pictures, depicting a growing and happy family, were ripped. The glass from the frames having droplets of blood from being stepped on barefooted.

At the desk near the back of the room, was a young woman.

Long brown hair, disheveled from lack of upkeep. She wore the uniform of the school her father had attended, but it was just as mangled as the rest of her appearance at the moment.

She had her head down between her crossed arms, shoulders shaking, as painful sobs wracked her body.

Mari _Purson_ was beyond distraught.

Anger, confusion and concern at war within her.

"I'm sorry daddy." She whispered into the empty room.

How could she do this to him?

Just a few days ago, she had asked that question rather loudly, but in the reverse.

 _"How could you do this to me?!"_

She had yelled these words, at the top of her lungs, towards her father.

And for what?

A misunderstanding between the two of them, a prime example of his flaw depicted in the letter from her dead mother.

A letter that had just arrived _today,_ 2 days after she had turned 18.

She knew that sometimes, he didn't say what he really meant. She'd known that for a long time.

His thoughts would skip ahead, and the words would be left behind, forgetting that not everyone was on the same page.

She thought that he was disowning her. Shipping her off to the devils, so that he could go raise kids with a woman that was still alive.

Her pain mingled with the rage that he would do such a thing, and she lashed out.

Apparently Mari and her mother had a few things in common. She tore the pictures with him among them to pieces, right in front of him. Cursed his very existence, and hers from being related to him.

 _"I never want to see you again. I never want to hear your disgusting, lying voice again. And I never want to hear of you being anywhere near my family again!"_

It was an effort to get rid of him, before he got rid of her. All she'd wanted at that very moment, was to switch the scenarios around.

If only that letter had come 4 days ago, the day before she had torched her relationship with her father.

Maybe then, she would have taken her mothers lesson to heart. But maybe not, and it would have happened anyway.

She could hear the door in the background being thrust open, smashing against the wall from the force.

The tell-tale sign of wind magic came, as the sound of all the debris being shifted towards one side of the room met her ears.

Then the stomping, someone was angry with her.

Mari didn't care. She didn't care who it was, or what they wanted. All she wanted at this very moment was her daddy. The man who had cared for her, loved her, raised her.

He gave her a childhood only seen in dreams. Anything she wanted, he'd get it for her.

She wanted to learn to play the piano like him? He hired the best teacher he could find to come to their home.

She wanted to cook as well as Anna? A personal chef that doubled as an instructor, was there in 8 hours.

The stomping came closer, until it was just to her left, at the desk.

Mari still didn't care, until she heard something being placed on the desk gently. That caught her attention.

She expected this person to slam a hand down and start yelling. It could have been any number of people too.

Choking back her sobs, Mari slowly raised her head. The tears weren't able to be stopped.

"I thought you were smarter than this." The voice made her blood run cold, as she lifted her head to see what was placed on her desk.

It was someone who loved her father just as much as she did, in the same way she did.

A pearl shimmering powerfully with life and energy, sat in front of her. Nearly the size of a golf ball, she could see the ripples running through it.

Something that shouldn't be there.

A delicate and feminine hand was directly next to the jewel, the fingers clenched tightly into a fist.

It was the hand of her sister Kunou.

The hand moved to take the letter, as Mari let her gaze travel up to peer at her step-sister.

She looked identical to how Yasaka must have looked at her age. Long golden hair in a ponytail, the golden fur on her fox ears with white tips. The 9 tails swished erratically behind her, fluttering her shrine outfit violently.

Kunou was pissed.

Her eyes caught movement by the door.

Looking over, Mari saw the others that became her family. Not by blood or marriage, but they were family all the same.

Yubelluna, Mihae, Siris, Karlamine, Isabela, Xuelan, Ile, Nel, Ni and Li, Shuriya, Burent, Marion, and Mira.

They were servants of the Purson family. They had been for most of her life.

They all looked worried over the state of Mari and her room. None of them dared to move, they knew better than to get involved in family arguments.

"Mother has often said that you were like looking at a carbon copy of her. I guess that runs true further than just appearance."

The voice of her sister brought her attention back.

Those golden eyes flared with a fire she hadn't seen before. Her face was as cold as the ice that Serafall was renowned for.

"Do you have _any_ idea as to what you've done?"

There were very few people whose opinions mattered to Mari. Kunou, Yasaka, Anna, Kali and her father were the top of the list.

Her siblings followed closely behind, and were no doubt very upset with her at the moment.

And while she liked her fathers other…partners, they weren't nearly as important to her as the ones previously mentioned.

"I'm sorry Kunou. I didn't mean it." Mari whispered hoarsely, the crying and yelling had made her voice nearly inaudible.

The face of her step-sister softened considerably, as she leaned forward. The young foxes hands came to each side of her face, and she put their foreheads together.

It was a gesture they'd done for as long as she could remember, Mari closed her eyes from the comforting gesture.

"Dearest sister of mine. As soon as I set foot into this home, I knew that."

Her thumbs traced along Maris cheek, her hands warm from the fox fire her body produced.

Kunou leaned back up to her full height, her figure making all the girls a little green with envy except Mari herself. Her face cooled back down to neutral.

"But I am still rather upset with you. You do know what this gem is don't you?" She gestured to the pearl on the desk.

Mari shook her head, she knew it looked somewhat familiar, but couldn't place it.

"Hoshi no Tama. My mothers, to be more specific."

Mari paled as the words sunk in.

Kunou nodded grimly as she eyed her sister.

"Yes, I must applaud you. _Never_ have I seen her so distraught. I spent the last 18 hours just trying to get her to stop crying. To know that _you_ were the cause is quite…troublesome."

Because Kunou wanted to bathe someone in fire hot enough to leave nothing behind, Mari knew.

Yasaka was an incredibly strong woman. But was attached to her father on a level only matched by Anna and Kali, who were _still_ slaves. To render her an inconsolable mess was unprecedented.

"I thought you knew how much of a hold you had on our father. I may be older by 7 years, but you will always be his first born. The spiritual bond between you only makes matters worse."

Mari didn't know about this _bond_ , but it obviously had something to do with the details in the letter.

"I thought he was trying to get rid of me Kunou. Daddy just seemed to want to get the whole thing over with. He's seemed so distracted lately, that I thought he was just counting the seconds until he could leave me behind."

Even being an 18 year old, Mari had never been able to break calling her father 'Daddy'. It was just…who he was.

Her protector, her safeguard, her comfort.

Kunou shook her head.

"For one with a genius mind, you're rather naive."

Mari frowned, not liking being called 'stupid' by her sister. She also wished her sister would stop using that stupid formal way of talking that her people had ingrained her with.

'But…Daddy's the only one who can get her to drop it.' She thought sadly.

"He wanted to get it over with, because it was like you were moving away to an unreachable land. Becoming the head of a pillar is a lot of work. He adores all of his family. But _you_ hold a special place. It is no fault of his own, or yours. My mother and his other lovers have all recognized and accepted that."

Kunou knelt down to be eye level with her sister, who had her gaze aimed towards the floor, like a child being scolded.

"You have recognized your mistake, and that is a step in the right direction. I would suggest that we start to search for father, but you know as well as I do, that he is highly skilled in numerous things. We will find him if he wants to be found. Until then, you have a gathering to attend."

Kunou stood Mari up, and ushered her towards the servants. Mari was about to publicly announce the revival of the Purson family. She chose this path, so she needed to see it through.

'But still…I wish you weren't breaking up the family Mari.' Kunou thought, thinking of what had transpired back in her own home.

'You have no idea how you've hurt those who love both daddy and you.' Only in her thoughts and in his presence could her guard drop. She wasn't his blood daughter. But that mattered very little.

 **END!**

 **I've read the side story to holy inferno dragon, and thought that something similar might be a good way to introduce things for Sins fo the father.**

 **It gives me a way to bring more life to Nora without wasting time on the main story, although she will pop up here and there.**


End file.
